0:00:02 > 0:00:05'In the last 11 years, we've valued thousands of your items'
0:00:05 > 0:00:06and helped you sell
0:00:06 > 0:00:09around £1 million of antiques and collectables.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13- You've turned your £32 into at least £200 to £300.- Yeah?
0:00:13 > 0:00:15- Happy?- I'm very happy with that.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18- That is amazing!- Cracking result.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22In this series, I want to pass on some of the knowledge we've learnt
0:00:22 > 0:00:26from having those wonderful objects pass through our hands.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Welcome to Flog It! Trade Secrets.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01History tends to reflect the lives of the people who write it.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Great generals, proud monarchs and intrepid explorers,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08and the houses and objects they leave behind,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11are a source of wonder and inspiration.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15It's not so much what this chair's worth, but whose bum sat on it.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19'Coming up: Our experts share their thoughts
0:01:19 > 0:01:23'about some of the poshest items we've seen on Flog It!'
0:01:23 > 0:01:28Two really nice quality decanters. It's a very posh thing, this.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31A really good example of how life used to be.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35- PHILIP:- I think this is just about the business. It really is lovely.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Tortoiseshell tea caddies are a red-letter day for an auctioneer.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42It could easily top the £1,000 mark.
0:01:44 > 0:01:50We have a collection of the most glorious gaming pieces.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53These are made for the upper classes.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55The Jane Austen crowd.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58- Where we were before.- £3,600!
0:01:58 > 0:02:02- You didn't see that coming, did you? - No.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08When you visit grand historic houses or castles
0:02:08 > 0:02:13it's usually the splendour and the grandness of the state rooms that you gravitate towards
0:02:13 > 0:02:17to admire the gorgeous tapestries and the priceless furniture.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Because, let's face it, that's not how most of us live.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25'Over the years, objects from these places have been sold or gifted
0:02:25 > 0:02:29'and many have turned up at our valuation days.'
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Here's how the other half live.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35'Get ready for a tantalising array of quality items.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38'One of our experts who had an eye for the finer things in life
0:02:38 > 0:02:42'was the formidable David Barby, a true gentleman.'
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Of all the things that have been brought in today, Sheila,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49this is one that I wish to take home with me.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52- Is that right?- Absolutely. It's in such lovely condition.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56And beautifully polished, as though you only did it this morning.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59- I bet you did, didn't you? - LAUGHING: Yes!
0:02:59 > 0:03:04- It was brown.- Was it brown?- Yes. - Not stuck in an attic?- Yes.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- Really?- Yes, till last night.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- So you've never used it? - I used to use it.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14It used to be on a sideboard, but I'd got a big place then.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Since I've moved, it's been up the loft.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21- Right. What do you use it for? - Nothing, really. Just decoration.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26- Just decoration?- Yes.- It did have a purpose when it was made in 1806.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30It's solid silver and this would have come from a very affluent home.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35- Oh!- If you read books by Mrs Gaskell...
0:03:35 > 0:03:40- Yes.- North And South, Cranford, this fits into that sort of society.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43- Really?- Yes. It really is quite an interesting piece.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48The design, if you look at it, it has a classical appearance.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- It's a pedestal form. - Yes. A nice shape.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Let's think in terms of a Regency dining table.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58We'd have fresh cut chunks of bread in there.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02- Lovely.- And passed round by the servant or the butler.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07'A quality piece, the serving basket was valued £350 to £500
0:04:07 > 0:04:10'and was sold at Adam Partridge's saleroom.'
0:04:10 > 0:04:14It wouldn't have been something that most of us would have had.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18You would have been a company owner or a politician or military man
0:04:18 > 0:04:22or a semi-aristo type to have owned something like that.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27You'd have never polished it yourself! You'd have someone to do that for you.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31'Are silver items with little practical use still sought after,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33'or are they bought for scrap?'
0:04:33 > 0:04:37People buy silver for condition, for what it is, for the maker, the age,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39various factors.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43The only things I imagine go for scrap are the ones that are damaged
0:04:43 > 0:04:46or the ones that no-one wants any more.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49'That was more for the serious collector.'
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I've got four bids. Shall we cut to the chase and say we've got 460?
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Is there 480? 460 bid. Is there 480 now?
0:04:57 > 0:05:04At 460. If you're all done. We'll sell it. Short and sweet at 460.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Blink and you'll miss that one! £460. Well done, David.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13'And that wasn't the only fine item we've seen.'
0:05:13 > 0:05:17I think this is just about the business. It really is lovely.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Tortoiseshell tea caddies are a red-letter day for an auctioneer.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24You have to be mindful with tortoiseshell and ivory.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29They have got to pre-date 1947, but that was a 19th-century caddy.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I don't know which half of the family it's come down from.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37What often happened is you find that back at the latter end of the 19th century,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41someone might have been in service.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44When they retired, they were given a present for the house.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I think, on my father's side of the family, they were in service.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49It's an area I've got to explore.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53So this could have been a present from a house that he worked at?
0:05:53 > 0:05:56'It's almost like a class thing.'
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Tea was an expensive commodity,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01so tea was locked up in this little box.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04The more elaborate and expensive the box was,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06the better the household that it came from.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10And you locked it up so those nasty servants couldn't get at your expensive tea!
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Regency tortoiseshell tea caddy.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Silver wire mounts in here.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Little silver escutcheon.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22There's just a hint of damage.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- Can you see just there?- Mm-hm.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28- And on that corner, a little bit missing.- Right.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33A certain amount of minor blemishing I always think is acceptable.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Some people would prefer to restore it.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37What happens then is you get...
0:06:37 > 0:06:41You clearly can't use modern ivory or tortoiseshell.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44So people will buy old items that are damaged
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and they will use them to repair other items.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50So, if you've got an old piano with ivory keys,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54you might be able to buy the piano for nothing, take the ivory keys
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and use that in the restoration of something else.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59What's it worth?
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- You don't know.- Not a clue. No.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- If it made over £100, you'd probably be quite pleased.- Mm. I think so.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Well, I think we ought to estimate that at...
0:07:12 > 0:07:14- £500 to £800.- Really?
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Yeah. And I think...
0:07:18 > 0:07:22..that it could easily top the £1,000 mark.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29The thing about anything is that you're going to get different ends of the spectrum.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32You can buy a tea caddy today for £5 or £10.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Tortoiseshell tea caddies are still massively collectable.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40They're not quite worth the money they were, but they're up there at the Rolls-Royce end.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Things go in vogue in this business.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48At the minute, tortoiseshell tea caddies are the thing.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Do you like it or not really? That's why you want to sell it?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I don't dislike it, but I have...
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- You'd like £1,000 more? - Yes, probably! Yes!
0:07:57 > 0:07:59PHILIP LAUGHS
0:08:00 > 0:08:04'It's off to the saleroom, but will quality always out?'
0:08:04 > 0:08:07You've done some research on this, haven't you?
0:08:07 > 0:08:13Talking to Philip, he said it was the kind of thing that would come from somebody in service.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18- Big grand house?- Yes. I've started doing genealogy on my father's side of the family.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21I've discovered that my great-grandfather was a butler.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26The rumour within the family is that he worked for Sir Titus Salt junior,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- the salt mill with the David Hockney exhibition.- Yes.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32A great thing about Flog It! is that it sparks an interest.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Someone comes to the valuation day, we tell them something,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41they take it home and, whether they sell it or not, they find out more about it.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45What we discovered is it could well have belonged to Sir Titus Salt.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50He would have come from that great age of Victorian invention and money.
0:08:50 > 0:08:55Industrialists set up businesses and made huge sums of money.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00What do you do with huge sums of money? You buy a very trendy, at the time, tortoiseshell tea caddy.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03A single caddy in very good condition.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Very little to quarrel about with this.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I have to start on my sheets at £900.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14Do we have £950 in the room? 950. 1,000. And 50.
0:09:14 > 0:09:161,100. And 50. 1,200. And 50.
0:09:16 > 0:09:191,300. And 50. 1,400. And 50.
0:09:19 > 0:09:221,500. And 50. 1,600 in the room?
0:09:22 > 0:09:241,600 on the phone?
0:09:26 > 0:09:301,600 is it anywhere, then?
0:09:30 > 0:09:34We finish 1,550. All done and finished. All done.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Fantastic!
0:09:37 > 0:09:42- I'll calm you down.- I need a bottle of gin never mind a glass of gin!
0:09:42 > 0:09:46There are certain things that just go, "Ker-ching!"
0:09:46 > 0:09:49You get the three bells that light up across here.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Tortoiseshell tea caddies are one of those things, but...
0:09:53 > 0:09:57When that was sold, and I can't remember exactly when,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01but it wouldn't make as much now because there are peaks and troughs.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06I think that we sold it at the peak and now it's probably a trough.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09'The trick of this business is to do your research.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12'If you can learn to pinpoint the peaks and the troughs,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14'you could be onto a winner.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19'Over the years, we've seen hundreds of decanters at our valuation days.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23'But in 2010, Adam found a rather striking set.'
0:10:23 > 0:10:27- Steve, welcome to Flog It! - Thank you.- How are you doing?- Fine.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- You've got a nice thing here. - Yeah, it is.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- Very precious.- Is it?- I hope so.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- Is it precious to you, sentimentally?- In a way, yeah.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40But it's been in the loft for 20-odd years, doing nothing.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44- So might as well...- If we could clear every loft in the land,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- I think we'd solve the economy! - LAUGHS
0:10:47 > 0:10:51This pair of decanters in their wonderful coromandel fitted case
0:10:51 > 0:10:55are a really good example of how life used to be.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59With the divide of the upstairs and the downstairs
0:10:59 > 0:11:03in these country houses with their servants.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06How did it come to be in your family's possession?
0:11:06 > 0:11:11My grandfather and granny and me mother worked in a hall.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- So they were in service? - Service, yeah.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Last of the upstairs and downstairs people.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Me granny was a cook and me grandfather was a butler and me mother was a maid.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- And where was that? - That was in Thornby Hall.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28People watching now will wonder, "What's all this 'in service'?"
0:11:28 > 0:11:32It just doesn't happen any more. Very few people are butlers any more!
0:11:32 > 0:11:36I can't remember ever having met a butler or a maid.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I've met a few cooks, but not private, really.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43All you get nowadays is the odd nanny here and there.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48- How do you think they got these? - I think they were given to them.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- As a thank-you gift or retirement gift?- Could have been.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Well, it's a very posh thing, this.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58It's made out of a... Look at the thickness of the wood!
0:11:58 > 0:12:02It's made out of coromandel, which is an exotic and expensive timber.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04It was mainly used to make small things.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07You don't see much furniture made out of it, it was all boxes
0:12:07 > 0:12:09and small things like this.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Fitted with two really nice quality decanters.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- Is it English-made, do you think? - Yes, it is. Definitely.- Yeah.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Another sign of quality, you've also got the key, which is unusual.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Most have lost their keys by now.
0:12:22 > 0:12:28And you've got this special type of lock, Bramah patent lock.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31These locks are a special secure lock.
0:12:31 > 0:12:37I remember you saying before we started, "Don't shut it because it's a terrible thing to open."
0:12:37 > 0:12:39That's because of this lock.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42It's wonderful quality, a Bramah's patent.
0:12:42 > 0:12:47You only see it on fine things, so it's another sign of quality.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Decanters aren't the easiest things to sell any more.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Of course, there are collectors, but there are many on the market
0:12:55 > 0:12:58which means, generally, prices are pretty low.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04You have to have something pretty special, in decanter terms, for it to have a considerable value.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08These were a nice decent pair in their fitted case.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12If you took those pair of decanters out of that coromandel box,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14they'd be worth £30.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17The value was as a parcel, I think.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21- What do you think it might be worth? - What do YOU think it's worth?
0:13:21 > 0:13:22I haven't a clue, to be honest.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Realistically, in that order - because the glass isn't perfect.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30- There's a few minor grazes, aren't there?- Yeah.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34- I would have thought between £100 and £200 is your likely realised price.- Oh, yeah.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Bids all over the book on this one.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42453...
0:13:42 > 0:13:47- Whoa! Straight in! - That's the lot number.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52The auctioneer read out the lot number, which I think was 450 or something.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56"Right, 450!" And Paul went, "Oh, my goodness! It's amazing!"
0:13:56 > 0:13:59I said, "Calm down, Paul. It's lot number 450."
0:13:59 > 0:14:02You've got to keep alert at auctions!
0:14:02 > 0:14:0770, if you like. 170. 170. 180. 180 bid.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Is there 90? At 180. 90. 190.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Phew! Better not fan. I might bid!
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Level money at 190.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19- That's a good result. - Top of the estimate.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21At £190...
0:14:21 > 0:14:26- We'll settle for that. That's drinks all round, £190.- Yeah.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30'Adam was right. It was the box that sold those decanters.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35'A top tip is look for complete sets of things in original boxes.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38'Bits missing will generally affect the value.'
0:14:38 > 0:14:41And here's another trade secret.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45'Look for fine, well-crafted items, no matter what it is.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48'Quality should always hold its value.'
0:14:50 > 0:14:55'In 2011, Flog It! visited the beautiful Bath Assembly Rooms.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59'In the Georgian era, they would have seen the aristocracy at play.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02'David Barby found a very appropriate object to value -
0:15:02 > 0:15:05'a set of George IV gaming boxes.'
0:15:05 > 0:15:09Janita, I was hoping when we were filming at Bath,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13that something would come along that would evoke
0:15:13 > 0:15:16the late Georgian Regency period.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20And these boxes fall into that category.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24- Where did these come from? - My mother was a great collector
0:15:24 > 0:15:29of Victorian treasures and she particularly loved mother-of-pearl.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Inside, we have a collection
0:15:31 > 0:15:36of the most glorious mother-of-pearl counters.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39When you had the Assembly Rooms like this in Bath,
0:15:39 > 0:15:44you would have an element of gaming or assignations for gaming later.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48These would have been the gaming pieces they'd have used.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53They date from, let's say about 1800, 1820, that sort of period.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55These are made for the upper classes.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- The Jane Austen crowd. - LAUGHING: Good.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03On the outside, they look as though they've suffered along the line.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Of course, they would do. These are Oriental boxes.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10They're lacquer. Lacquer is not a stable material.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Clearly, you never want to see damage.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17But I'm a great believer that if something's been around 150 years,
0:16:17 > 0:16:23then the damage that it has, it's the lines on its hands, it's the wrinkles on its face.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25It's patina, it's what we look for.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29'It was valued as two lots, but would the damage to the lid
0:16:29 > 0:16:31'put the bidders off as they went under the hammer?'
0:16:31 > 0:16:35320, my bid. 320. 340. 360.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38- Another bid in the room, look. - 400. 420.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41440. 460. 480. 500...
0:16:41 > 0:16:43'Clearly not.'
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Auctions. Don't you just love them?
0:16:46 > 0:16:50- ..700. 750. 800... - 'And the bids kept coming.'
0:16:50 > 0:16:53..1,800. 1,900.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- This is what auctions are all about. - Wow!
0:16:56 > 0:16:582,000.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02- 2,100? 2,200? - This is just the first lot.
0:17:02 > 0:17:042,300?
0:17:04 > 0:17:07- 2,400? - LAUGHING:- 2,500!
0:17:07 > 0:17:112,500? 2,600?
0:17:11 > 0:17:15And selling at £2,500, then.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20The hammer's gone down! Such a tiny tap. It should have been...
0:17:20 > 0:17:25£2,500. That's the first one. That is incredible.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28'And the other one did even better.'
0:17:28 > 0:17:32- 2,700. 2,800. - This one's even more desirable.
0:17:32 > 0:17:342,900. 3,000.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- Ooooh!- £3,000!
0:17:37 > 0:17:393,200.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- 3,400? 3,400.- 3,400. Late legs.
0:17:42 > 0:17:443,600?
0:17:45 > 0:17:473,800?
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- Oh, gosh!- No. £3,600, then.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- Where we were before.- £3,600!
0:17:55 > 0:18:00- Plus your other. £6,100! - That is marvellous.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05- That's beyond my expectations.- You didn't see that coming, did you?- No.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08'If two people have their eye on an item there can be real money made.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13'But if you're buying at auction, don't get carried away by the excitement.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16'Set yourself a budget and stick to it.'
0:18:16 > 0:18:18So here's what we've learned so far.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22'Always look for quality because quality always sells.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26'In some cases, damage will not deter a buyer.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29'But that's not always the case, so get some advice.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31'Provenance is important.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36'If you can trace an object to a particular stately home or a family,
0:18:36 > 0:18:37'it can seriously add to its value.'
0:18:44 > 0:18:48'Over the years, I've been to some wonderful historic homes.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54'From Arley in North Cheshire to Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59'One of the most interesting is a place I visited back in 2006.'
0:18:59 > 0:19:06One great thing about antiques is it's not just about appreciating the detail and beauty and craftsmanship,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10but it's also about the stories and history that lie behind them.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13That's why I brought you here to Lanhydrock House
0:19:13 > 0:19:16set in 900 acres of parkland on the River Foy,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19just a few miles up the road from St Austell.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29This country mansion house
0:19:29 > 0:19:33isn't just a stunning example of 17th and 19th-century architecture.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35With all the trappings and atmosphere,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37its very fabric tells the story
0:19:37 > 0:19:41of the socially and sexually divided life for the Victorian family.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15In 1881, the house, which had stood for almost 250 years,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17was severely damaged by fire.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20The then owners, the Agar-Robartes, had the house rebuilt
0:20:20 > 0:20:24by architect Richard Coad and he used this book on this table,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27a book by Robert Kerr called The Gentleman's House,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29to design a new layout,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33based on the strict morals and principles of Victorian living.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- With me is curator for Lanhydrock, Paul Holden. Hi, there.- Hello.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41What did this book actually tell the architect to do?
0:20:41 > 0:20:45The book acted as a guide to show how a house could be designed
0:20:45 > 0:20:47and how it could be segregated.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50For example, we're in the drawing room now
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and the farthest room from this room is the nursery.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58Children and adults didn't mix, apart from when the family were ready for them.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02It's not even a case of "be seen and not heard" it's "not even be seen"!
0:21:02 > 0:21:04- CHILD SINGS - # Oranges and lemons
0:21:04 > 0:21:07# Say the bells of St Clement's
0:21:07 > 0:21:11# You owe me five farthings
0:21:11 > 0:21:14# Say the bells of St Martin's. #
0:21:16 > 0:21:19'This day room is one of several in the nursery quarters.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23'Here, the children would play and eat their meals under the supervision of a nanny,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27'only seeing their parents when they were sent for.'
0:21:28 > 0:21:32That is a strict moral code. Surely, all houses weren't built like this?
0:21:32 > 0:21:38I'm sure all houses weren't designed like that, but certain people picked up on Robert Kerr's ideals.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42This family, being high Anglican, wanted to put those morals into this house.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46I think it was very important for the High Victorian period
0:21:46 > 0:21:48that they set those moral codes.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- We got gender separation in the house as well.- Gender separation!
0:21:51 > 0:21:55That is such a harsh word! Tell me what you mean by that.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Obviously, you're talking about the family.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00It was very important for the High Victorians.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03The drawing room was a very feminine space.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05We have very masculine spaces,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09particularly the dining room downstairs and the billiard room,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and smoking room in the male quarters.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27I've come to the smoking room, which Paul was telling me about.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31As soon as you walk in, you can tell it's a man's room.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35You can imagine them sitting here, supping a glass of brandy
0:22:35 > 0:22:40and reminiscing over a recent shoot or a bygone hunting party.
0:22:52 > 0:22:58All the rooms we've seen so far would have been used by the Agar-Robartes family themselves.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00What was life like for the servants?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Did the segregation of the sexes apply below stairs?
0:23:03 > 0:23:08I'm in the kitchen to ask the question to Paul. What was life like for the servants?
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Life was very good, in general, they had their own accommodation.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16But compared to the opulence of the main house, it was very different.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21Mind you, looking around this marvellous kitchen, there's a wow factor. Look at the size of it.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26It's gorgeous. Surely, males and females worked together here?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29It was an area where male and female mixed in the kitchen.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34But the servants' hall was the only place they could relax together,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37talk generally and have their annual servants' ball.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41There were two separate staircases away from the servants' hall.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46We had a wooden staircase leading up first to the females' accommodation on the top floor
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and secondly the male servants' accommodation on the top floor.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Male and female servants' accommodation met at a right angle,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56and the butler had the key for that door in between.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Quite a few mod cons. You've got hot and cold running water.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14Very modern tiling for its day, and grouting, and a steam oven.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Mm. The tiling was for hygiene. It could just be wiped clean.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23- But there is steam equipment in this kitchen.- Look at that apparatus.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26- What a fireplace! What an oven. - It is an amazing spit.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29It is, isn't it? Look at the size of it!
0:24:29 > 0:24:33The pulley system involved, and all the linkage.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35It's all generated by this smoke jack,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38which is generated by the heat of the fire
0:24:38 > 0:24:42and the smoke going up the chimney that would revolve the apparatus.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46You would have had roasts on there, your rotisserie for your chickens.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51You've got mechanical jacks, so the whole thing would turn by its own momentum.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Gosh. It's wonderfully preserved. It really does take you back in time.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59- You can just imagine a spit roast going on now.- Definitely.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10This beautiful house perfectly evokes a bygone era of class divide,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and the wealth and the power of the upper crust.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23If you could choose any beautiful antique, what would it be?
0:25:23 > 0:25:26I put that question to our experts.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29'And today, it's Philip Serrell.'
0:25:29 > 0:25:35It's funny, you think about all the things you see in Flog It! One thing keeps homing back to me.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38It was a country house stationery box or letter box.
0:25:38 > 0:25:44It was in rosewood lattice, like a lattice box with open panels
0:25:44 > 0:25:48or open gaps, so you'd post your letter into it.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50I think it's absolutely lovely.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55Answered postcards in this side. Unanswered in this side.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59Just lift that flap up, there's a maker's name, Thompson.
0:25:59 > 0:26:05I think that refers to the maker of this hidden brass handle,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07rather than the whole lot.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11I would think it's about 1840 and it's made out of rosewood...
0:26:11 > 0:26:13'This is a box that would have sat'
0:26:13 > 0:26:16on a table in the hall of a large country house.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19When you were stopping there, you'd put your letters in it.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24A footman would have opened it up and taken the contents to the post for you.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28You've got a great bit of social history, almost like Downton Abbey.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30It's all there for you.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33This was just clean. It hadn't been touched or stripped clean.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37It was just honest. It was just absolutely lovely.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40I can remember it like it was yesterday.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Have you any idea what it might be worth?
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Well, I thought, possibly, £50 or £60.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49- Would you take a cheque?- Oh, I see! LAUGHS
0:26:49 > 0:26:53I think it's lovely. I think that will make £300 to £500.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57- Gosh!- That is a surprise. - Put a reserve on it of 250.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01I have to say that if you get two ardent collectors there,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03I think it could way exceed that.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- I really like it. - I'm glad I brought it.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10This is one thing that I would really love to own. It is absolutely beautiful.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13'It wasn't just Philip who loved it.'
0:27:13 > 0:27:16At 560, 580, £600.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- Unbelievable! - That's absolutely amazing.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22£640. 660. 680. At 680.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- It's incredible.- 700. 720.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29- 740. On the telephone at £740. - I can't believe it.- No.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31At £740. At 740.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- BANGS GAVEL - What? 740!
0:27:34 > 0:27:37That is fantastic. You were right.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41I have to say, I'd really rather have the box.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43'Must have been ten years ago.'
0:27:43 > 0:27:50Out of all the things I've seen, it was just a lovely, honest lot.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53'It just goes to show how much we still love objects
0:27:53 > 0:27:57'from our country's aristocratic past.'
0:28:02 > 0:28:03As we've seen, there are plenty of items
0:28:03 > 0:28:06that were the preserve of the rich, but as times change,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09they've become valuable collectables.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13So, if you have an object that's been handed down to you,
0:28:13 > 0:28:14dig it out!
0:28:14 > 0:28:16You might not own a stately home,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18but it could just bring you riches too.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22See you next time on Flog It! Trade Secrets.